familypediawikiaorg-20200214-history
February 21
Events * 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. * 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, was granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery. *1440 - The Prussian Confederation is formed. *1543 - Battle of Wayna Daga - A combined army of Ethiopian and Portuguese troops defeated a Muslim army led by Ahmed Gragn. *1613 - Mikhail I is elected unanimously as Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia. *1743 - The premiere in London of George Frideric Handel's oratorio, "Samson". *1804 - The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren ironworks in Wales. *1842 - John Greenough is granted the first U.S. patent for the sewing machine. *1848 - Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish the Communist Manifesto. *1874 - The Oakland Daily Tribune publishes its first newspaper. *1878 - The first telephone book is issued in New Haven. *1885 - The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated. *1893 - Thomas Edison receives two U.S. patents for a "Cut Out for Incandescent Electric Lamps" and for a "Stop Device" *1907 - 125 people perish when the s.s. Berlin sinks near Hoek van Holland. *1916 - World War I: In France the Battle of Verdun begins. *1918 - The last Carolina parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. *1925 - The New Yorker publishes its first issue. *1937 - Initial flight of the first successful flying car, Waldo Waterman's Arrowbile. * 1937 - The League of Nations bans foreign national "volunteers" in the Spanish Civil War. *1943 - Battle of Guadalcanal ended. *1945 - World War II: Japanese Kamikaze planes sink escort carrier Bismarck Sea and damage the Saratoga. *1947 - In New York City Edwin Land demonstrates the first "instant camera", the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America. *1948 - NASCAR is incorporated. *1952 - The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes Identity Cards in the UK to "set the people free". * 1952 - In Dhaka, East Pakistan (present Bangladesh) police opened fire on a procession of students, who demanded the establishment of Bengali as the official language, killing four people and starting a country-wide protest which led to the recognition of Bengali as one of the national languages of Pakistan. The day was later declared as "International Mother Language Day" by UNESCO. *1953 - Francis Crick and James D. Watson discover the structure of the DNA molecule. *1958 - Peace symbol designed and completed by Gerald Holtom, commissioned by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment. *1960 - Cuban leader Fidel Castro nationalizes all businesses in Cuba. *1965 - Malcolm X is assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City by members of the Nation of Islam. *1970 - Swissair Flight 330: A mid-air bomb explosion and subsequent crash kills 38 passengers and nine crew members near Zürich, Switzerland. *1971 - The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna. *1972 - President Richard Nixon visits the People's Republic of China to normalize Sino-American relations. * 1972 - The Soviet unmanned spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon. *1973 - Over the Sinai Desert, Israeli fighter aircraft shoot down a Libyan Airlines jet killing 108. * 1974 - The last Israeli soldiers leave the west bank of the Suez Canal in carrying out a truce with Egypt. *1975 - Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison. * 1995 - Steve Fossett lands in Leader, Canada becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon. *2004 - The first European political party organization, the European Greens, is established in Rome. *2007 - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigns from office. His resignation is rejected by the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano. Births *1484 - Elector Joachim I of Brandenburg (d. 1535) *1556 - Sethus Calvisius, German calendar reformer (d. 1615) *1675 - Franz Xaver Josef von Unertl, Bavarian politician (d. 1750) *1688 - Queen Ulrike Eleonora of Sweden (d. 1741) *1705 - Edward Hawke, British naval officer (d. 1781) *1721 - John McKinly, American physician (d. 1796) *1723 - Louis-Pierre Anquetil, French historian (d. 1808) *1728 - Tsar Peter III of Russia, husband of Catherine the Great (d. 1762) *1783 - Princess Catharina of Württemberg, Quuen consort of Westphalia (d. 1835 *1791 - Carl Czerny, Austrian composer (d. 1857) *1794 - Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, Mexican president (d. 1876) *1801 - John Henry Newman, English Catholic cardinal (d. 1890) *1817 - Jose Zorrilla y Moral, Spanish dramatist (d. 1893) *1821 - Charles Scribner, American publisher (d. 1871) *1836 - Léo Delibes, French composer (d. 1891) *1844 - Charles-Marie Widor, French composer (d. 1937) *1860 - Karel Matěj Čapek-Chod, Czech journalist (d. 1927) *1865 - John Haden Badley, English school founder (d. 1967) *1867 - Otto Hermann Kahn, German millionaire (d. 1934) *1875 - Jeanne Calment, French supercentenarian and longest-lived human on record (d. 1997) *1876 - Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (d. 1956) *1878 - The Mother, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1973) *1880 - Waldemar Bonsels, German writer (d. 1952) *1885 - Sacha Guitry, Russian dramatist (d. 1957) *1888 - Clemence Dane, British novelist and playwright (d. 1965) *1893 - Celia Lovsky, Russian-born actress (d. 1979) * 1893 - Andrés Segovia, Spanish guitarist (d. 1987) *1895 - Carl Peter Henrik Dam Danish biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1976) *1900 - Madeleine Renaud, French theater actress (d. 1994) *1903 - Fairfax M. Cone, American advertising executive (d. 1977) * 1903 - Anaïs Nin, French writer (d. 1977) * 1903 - Raymond Queneau, French poet and novelist (d. 1976) *1907 - W. H. Auden, English poet (d. 1973) *1910 - Douglas Bader, British pilot (d. 1982) * 1910 - Carmine Galante, Italian-born gangster (d. 1979) * 1910 - Eddie Waring, British sports commentator (d. 1986) *1913 - Roger Laurent, Belgian racing driver (d. 1997) *1915 - Ann Sheridan, American actress (d. 1967) *1917 - Lucille Bremer, American actress (d. 1996) *1924 - Robert Mugabe first President of Zimbabwe *1925 - Sam Peckinpah, American director (d. 1984) *1927 - Erma Bombeck, American humorist (d. 1996) * 1927 - Hubert de Givenchy, French fashion designer * 1927 - Pierre Mercure, French-Canadian musician and composer (d. 1966) *1929 - Roberto "Chespirito" Carlos Bolanõs, Mexican actor * 1929 - James Beck, English actor (d. 1973) *1933 - Nina Simone, American singer (d. 2003) *1934 - Rue McClanahan, American actress *1935 - Mark McManus, Scottish actor (d. 1994) * 1935 - Jean Pelletier, French Canadian political operative *1936 - Barbara Jordan, American politician (d. 1996) *1937 - King Harald V of Norway * 1937 - Gary Lockwood, American actor *1940 - John Lewis, American politician * 1940 - Peter Gethin, British racing driver *1941 - James Wong, Hong Kong composer (d. 2004) *1942 - Margarethe von Trotta, German actress and film director *1943 - David Geffen, American record producer *1945 - Paul Newton, British musician (Uriah Heep) * 1945 - D'Anna Fortunato, American mezzo-soprano *1946 - Tyne Daly, American actress * 1946 - Anthony Daniels, British actor * 1946 - Alan Rickman, English actor * 1946 - Bob Ryan, Boston sports columnist * 1946 - Vito Rizzuto, Sicilian-born alleged mafia boss *1947 - Johnny Echols, American musician (Love) * 1947 - Olympia Snowe, American politician * 1947 - Victor Sokolov, Russian journalist (d. 2006) *1949 - Jerry Harrison, American musician (Talking Heads) * 1949 - Ronnie Hellström, Swedish footballer *1951 - Vince Welnick, American musician (The Grateful Dead) (d. 2006) *1952 - Jean Jacques Burnel, British musician (The Stranglers) *1953 - Christine Ebersole, American actress * 1953 - William Petersen, American actor *1954 - Mike Pickering, English disc jockey and musician (Quando Quango, M People) *1954 - Ivo Van Damme, Belgian athlete (d. 1976) *1955 - Sir Steven Fayburgh, British diplomat * 1955 - Kelsey Grammer, American actor *1958 - Jake Burns, Irish singer (Stiff Little Fingers} * 1958 - Mary Chapin Carpenter, American singer * 1958 - Jack Coleman, American actor * 1958 - Alan Trammell, baseball player and manager *1959 - José María Cano, Spanish musician (Mecano) * 1959 - Emmett McAuliffe, American radio show host and lawyer *1960 - Steve Wynn, American singer (The Dream Syndicate) *1961 - Davey Allison, American race car driver (d. 1993) * 1961 - Christopher Atkins, American actor * 1961 - Martha Hackett, American actress * 1961 - Bertha Faye, American wrestler (d. 2001) *1962 - Vanessa Feltz, British television presenter * 1962 - Chuck Palahniuk, American writer * 1962 - David Foster Wallace, American writer *1963 - William Baldwin, American actor *1964 - Mark E. Kelly and Scott J. Kelly, American astronauts * 1964 - Jane Tomlinson, British cancer campaigner (d. 2007) *1967 - Leroy Burrell, American runner *1969 - James Dean Bradfield, Welsh musician (Manic Street Preachers) * 1969 - Tony Meola, American footballer * 1969 - Eric Wilson, American musician (Sublime) *1970 - Michael Slater, Australian cricketer *1972 - Seo Taiji, Korean musician *1973 - Heri Joensen, Faroese musician (Týr) * 1973 - Bowie Tsang, Taiwanese singer and TV host *1974 - Iván Campo, Spanish footballer * 1974 - Roberto Heras, Spanish cyclist *1975 - Chris (CP) Powell, American columnist *1976 - Ryan Smyth, Canadian hockey player *1977 - Steve Francis, American basketball player * 1977 - Chad Hutchinson, baseball and football player * 1977 - Kevin Rose, American television host and Internet entrepreneur *1978 - Park Eun-hye, South Korean actress * 1978 - Kim Ha Neul, South Korean actress * 1978 - Nicole Parker, American actress *1979 - Pascal Chimbonda, French footballer * 1979 - Carly "Carlito" Colón, Puerto Rican professional wrestler * 1979 - Lonnie Ford, American football player * 1979 - Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress *1980 - Brad Fast, Canadian ice hockey player * 1980 - Tiziano Ferro, Italian singer * 1982 - Bernhard Auinger, Austrian racing driver *1983 - Braylon Edwards, American football player * 1983 - Franklin Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player *1984 - Andrew Ellis, New Zealand rugby union player * 1984 - David Odonkor, German footballer *1985 - Bob Burton, American speedcuber * 1985 - Georgios Samaras, Greek footballer *1986 - Charlotte Church, Welsh singer * 1986 - Prince Amedeo of Belgium *1987 - Ellen Page, Canadian actress * 1987 - Anthony Walker, British murder victim (d. 2005) *1988 - Daniel Rose, English footballer *1989 - Corbin Bleu, American actor and singer * 1989 - Kristin Herrera, American actress * 1989 - Josh Walker, English footballer Deaths *1437 - King James I of Scotland (b. 1394) *1471 - John of Rokycan, Czech Catholic archbishop *1513 - Pope Julius II (b. 1443) *1543 - Ahmed Gragn, Sultan of Adal *1554 - Hieronymus Bock, German botanist (b. 1498) *1595 - Robert Southwell, English Jesuit priest and poet (executed) *1668 - John Thurloe, English Puritan spy (b. 1616) *1677 - Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher (b. 1632) *1715 - Charles Calvert, Governor of the Province of Maryland (b. 1637) *1730 - Pope Benedict XIII (b. 1649) *1788 - Johann Georg Palitzsch, German astronomer (b. 1723) *1821 - Georg Friedrich von Martens, German diplomat (b. 1756) *1824 - Eugène de Beauharnais, son of Napoleon's wife, Josephine (b. 1781) *1846 - Emperor Ninko of Japan (b. 1800) *1862 - Justinus Kerner, German poet (b. 1786) *1901 - George Francis FitzGerald, Irish mathematician (b. 1851) *1920 - Jacinta Marto, witness of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (b. 1910) *1926 - Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1853) *1938 - George Ellery Hale, American astronomer (b. 1868) *1941 - Frederick Banting, Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1891) *1944 - Ferenc Szisz, Hungarian-born race car driver (b. 1873) *1945 - Eric Liddell, Scottish runner (b. 1902) *1946 - José Streel, Belgian World War II collaborator (b. 1911) *1949 - Tan Malaka, Indonesian nationalist activist and communist leader (b. 1894) *1958 - Duncan Edwards, English footballer (b. 1936) *1960 - Jacques Becker, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1906) *1965 - Malcolm X, American black activist (b. 1925) *1966 - Paul Comtois, French Canadian politician (b. 1895) *1967 - Charles Beaumont, American writer (b. 1929) *1968 - Howard Walter Florey, Australian-born pharmocologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1898) *1972 - Bronislava Nijinska, Polish-Russian ballet dancer (b. 1891) * 1972 - Eugène Tisserant, French Catholic candinal (b. 1884) *1974 - Tim Horton, Canadian hockey player (b. 1930) *1978 - Mieczysław Żywczyński, Polish historian and priest (b. 1901) *1980 - Alfred Andersch, German writer *1982 - Murray the K, American impresario and disc jockey (b. 1922) *1984 - Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905) *1985 - Louis Hayward, British actor (b. 1909) *1986 - Helen Hooven Santmyer, American writer (b. 1895) * 1986 - Shigechiyo Izumi, Japanese sugarcane farmer, also the world's oldest man ever (b. 1865) *1989 - Alex Thépot, French footballer (b. 1906) *1991 - Dame Margot Fonteyn, English ballet dancer (b. 1919) *1994 - Johannes Steinhoff, German fighter pilot & NATO commander (b.1913) *1996 - Morton Gould, American composer (b. 1913) *1999 - Gertrude B. Elion, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1918) * 1999 - Wilmer David Mizell, baseball player (b. 1930) *2000 - Antonio Díaz-Miguel, Spanish basketball coach (b. 1933) *2002 - Harold Furth, Austrian-born physicist (b. 1939) * 2002 - John Thaw, English actor (b. 1942) *2003 - Eddie Thomson, Scottish football player and coach (b. 1947) *2004 - John Charles, Welsh footballer (b. 1931) * 2004 - Guido Molinari, Canadian artist (b. 1933) *2005 - Ara Berberian, American opera singer (b. 1930) * 2005 - Gérard Bessette, Quebec novelist and poet (b. 1920) * 2005 - Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Cuban novelist (b. 1929) * 2005 - Eugene Scott, American religious broadcaster (b. 1929) Holidays and observances * Language Martyrs' Day - A day celebrated by Bengali speaking people for gaining right of mother tongue. * International Mother Language Day (UNESCO). Liturgical feasts * February 21 In the Roman Catholic Church: * Saint Peter Damiani * Saint Pepin of Landen * Saint Randoald External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:February